A Second Chance
by sevenluck
Summary: A second chance at life, the beginning of a new era.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I do not have much to say but... enjoy!

Disclaimer: This has many… actually, most of it is from HP&DH, "The Elder Wand", pg. 652

And… Obviously, I'm not JKR. So, yeah. I don't own any of this stuff.

* * *

"Snape. Now. I need him. There is a — _service_ — I require from him. Go," hissed the Dark Lord, closing his eyes in concentration. He heard Lucius stumble away, the door close and thud as he exited the Shrieking Shack. 

Besides Bellatrix, Snape had been his right-hand man, and for a simple, but necessary, reason, he would be exterminated.

"It is the only way, Nagini," he told the snake, but mostly to convince himself. _The only way…_

The Dark Lord thought. He had dwelt on the possibility of there being another way. _Possibility. _The Dark Lord did not believe it until he saw it, and until then, he decided the chances of it being true.

The possibility of another way… No, there was not. He had tried to find another, but there simply was not. The Dark Lord did not overlook things…

Severus Snape must die in order to seize full control of the Elder Wand, and, at last, vanquish the teenage menace…

Voldemort sneered; – it was the closest he ever gotten to a smile – if Snape had been bright enough to _allow _Draco to kill the Headmaster… Then Malfoy would suffer, not Severus.

Why was there sacrifice? Why was there… _love?_

The Dark Lord murmured to his snake, "I do not fully understand, my dear Nagini, why Snape has chosen his own demise. He could have let the Malfoy boy die, but instead, he killed Dumbledore himself. Why do you think, Nagini, he did that? _Why _does he _care_?"

The Dark Lord grimaced at his snake, troubled. Not troubled by the fact he was about to kill another; he was a merciless tyrant. He was just troubled Severus Snape had shown compassion for another; there was a crack in the old dragon's shell.

"I am here, my Lord." Came Snape's velvety voice, and he stepped around the corner.

"Good, good, Severus." Purred the Dark Lord, fingering the Elder Wand in his skeletal fingers.

There was a silence; Snape gazed at Nagini, twirling in her enchanted sphere. It was impossible for the Dark Lord to tell what Snape was thinking, even being an accomplished Legilimens. The Dark Lord could usually read the emotion off the eyes without using Legilimency… but Snape's… Snape was stoic, his eyes always midnight black. There was no emotion at all in them, no flash of fear or joy.

The Dark Lord, no matter how hard he had tried previously, could not "read his mind" as the Muggles put it.

"My Lord," Snape's satin voice interrupted the silence, although it could be hardly heard in the haunting quiet, "allow me to go help in the fight, my Lord, their resistance is crumbling–"

"– and it is doing so without your help. Skilled wizard though you are, Severus, I do not think you will make much difference now. We are almost there… almost." The Dark Lord purred; the Elder Wand seemed to vibrate in his hand with excitement, eagerly awaiting its true master to step forward.

"Let me find the boy," Snape persisted, striding forward. "Let me bring you Potter. I know I can find him, my Lord. Please."

The Dark Lord rose in a fluid motion, his crimson eyes glowing in the dim shack. "I have a problem, Severus," he said quietly, a sigh on the wind. His eyes tried to pierce the man's standing before him, but to no avail.

"My Lord?"

The Dark Lord took the Elder Wand, holding it aloft, but with sincere care and dexterity.

"Why doesn't it work for me, Severus?" hissed the Dark Lord, his frustration creeping into his voice again.

"My – my Lord? I do not understand," said Snape, his voice vacant and cool. "You – you have performed extraordinary magic with that wand."

"No, I have performed my usual magic. I am extraordinary, but this wand…" Voldemort sneered again, and he glared into the face of Snape as if it held all the answers… and it did. He was the key to this… "No. It has not revealed the wonders it has promised. I feel no difference between this wand and the one I procured from Ollivander all those years ago."

"No difference," hissed the Dark Lord, gripping the Elder Wand tight again.

* * *

Severus tensed ever so slightly, his heart picking up the pace. He remained silent, keeping his eyes on the snake that had evaded him until now… now was his chance. If _only_… 

"I have thought long and hard, Severus," the Dark Lord purred from a shadowed corner of the room, "Do you know why I have called you back from battle?"

Severus thought for a split second, his eyes darting from the snake to Voldemort's bloodshot eyes and back again. "No – no, I do not, my Lord."

"I want to speak to you, Severus," murmured the Dark Lord, his hissing voice slicing through the still air. "You have been very valuable to me. Very valuable."

Severus did not like the past tense. His midnight black eyes slid back to the coiling snake, cursing mentally. He tried to calm his breathing, to slow his heart, before he answered, "My Lord knows only to serve him–"

Severus cut off bringing up Potter again. The way Voldemort's eyes were burning a fierce red, his stride lithe but too silent, his face a mask but too calm; it would all shatter soon. Too soon. There must be another way of buying more time…

"My Lord," he started again, watching his master's progress through the tattered room, "I… believe you are mistaken."

That stopped him. Voldemort's burning hot-red eyes settled on Severus's cool and icy ones. "_By what way?_" He hissed, an iron grip on the Elder Wand.

Severus scrambled for something to say. Anything to keep him distracted… "About –" _Think, you git, __**think. **_"About Draco Malfoy, my Lord."

"You think I am mistaken of young Malfoy?" purred Voldemort in a musing voice. He began to pace again, deep in thought. "Continue, Severus."

"My Lord, the boy has potential–"

"You sound like Lucius, Severus. The boy is slacking and not willing to stand up to me. He is pathetic and weak."

"I said potential, my Lord. However slow the pendulum swings, he will have his golden day and you will be glad you kept him." _Thinking back to science, now, Severus? Potential and kinetic… let us see if it works. _

Voldemort took his time answering, his cloak sweeping about the shack and upsetting the dust bunnies that hid underneath the furniture. Finally, he turned, and stared at Severus in front of the snake's sphere. "Tell me, Severus, why you sacrificed yourself for him." His tone was, again, soft; it was the mask of calm, the mask that withheld his true and current emotions.

"My Lord, I – I did it out of–"

"Out of what, Severus?" snapped the Dark Lord impatiently, turning on his heel and prowling the room once more, "out of love? Out of kindness, compassion? Where does it come from? Why care for a sniveling creature as Malfoy? Why not take advantage over their weaknesses, why not gain power and glory?" The Dark Lord turned and glared at Severus with fury eyes; his face was a mask, but the eyes still shone through.

Severus was silent. He continued to stare at the snake before finally shifting his glance to the Dark Lord. _I have a heart, Voldemort. And you do not, which is why you do not understand the balances of humanity. You, Voldemort, are a **disgrace. **_

"Severus" hissed the Dark Lord, his voice sending an actual chill down Severus's back, "I do not understand, but you have been a good and faithful servant; I regret what must happen."

"You have fought to save Draco Malfoy's life; however, valor and selflessness is what a Gryffindor might do. Severus, I believe the Sorting Hat was _mistaken._" A sneer played about Voldemort's face, and he began to finger his wand again.

"I do not understand, Severus, the Elder Wand," continued the Dark Lord, his eyes darting to the pallid man before him. Voldemort's crimson eyes bored holes into the midnight black ones, a competition. "But it cannot serve me properly. Severus, I am not its true master. The Elder Wand belongs to the wizard who killed its last owner. You killed Albus Dumbldore. While you live, Severus, the Elder Wand cannot be truly mine."

"My Lord–!" Severus objected, raising his wand.

"I do not understand many things in this world, Severus," the Dark Lord cut across Snape's protest, but his voice was quiet once more; the snake was rearing back for the strike. "I do not understand, but this is surely the only way. I do not overlook things, Severus. I must master the wand. Master the wand, and I master Potter at long last."

The Dark Lord then slashed his wand through the air; Nagini's sphere cage rolled tumbled from where it had perched and encased the man standing before him.

_"Kill." _

The giant snake lunged for the man, but suddenly, "_SECTUMSEMPRA!" _

The snake staggered as sword-like slashes darted along its body; with one last swipe from Snape's wand, the snake became beheaded, and it keeled to the ground.

The Dark Lord stared at the man. Anger and fury ignited in him like an infuriated beehive. His red eyes smoldering, he raised the Elder Wand himself and pointed it at the man: "_Avada Kedavra!_"

* * *

A/N: This was a spur-of-the-moment thing. It turns I can type things faster at their climax (no duh) and I'm surprised I could type this up in less than 12 hours.

Review!


	2. Chapter 2

Severus recoiled away from the Killing Curse, waiting for his life to be swept away. But no such event occurred, and Severus stared forth at Voldemort; his whole frame was shaking with rage, his eyes livid and a fierce crimson. The Dark Lord just stood there, however, the Elder Wand clenched tightly in his fist.

Severus lowered his stiff arms, his eyes vigilant and ready for another round of curses. But none came; Voldemort continued to glare at him, seething, until he swept away and out the Shack door without a backwards glance.

Severus was quite stunned; he stood in the exact spot as if Petrified, apprehensive as to if the Dark Lord would glide right back through the door and finish him. It seemed a lifetime before Severus dared move, standing about the midst of the wreckage that had collapsed from the curse. Severus breathed heavily through his nose, examining the interior of the Shack through the dusty gloom, trying to sort out why he was still standing and very well alive.

The Killing Curse had rebounded against Nagini's cage, protecting Severus, and exploded the entire roof of the Shrieking Shack. It seemed eerily identical to the house that had been destroyed on the night of October in 1981. It was a replay, except Severus had escaped the Killing Curse, aided by the Dark Lord's own doing.

The second story and roof overhead had crashed to the ground, leaving piles of debris and hazards scattered about the floor. Jagged pieces of wood, bent pieces of metal, furniture, and pieces of shingle from the roof cluttered the space, making walk nearly impossible. Voldemort had swept away part of the rubble, clearing a path to exit the Shack when he had left.

Severus, still half dazed, realized he was still encased in the protective sphere, trapping him as the snake had been. Nagini herself was crumpled on the cage floor, her body thrashing about even though her head lay beheaded a few feet away. Severus bared his teeth at the pathetic corpse, sneering at it. With a last shudder, it became quite still; Severus suddenly remembered Dumbledore's solemn words as he stared at the serpent's broken body; it was the old Headmaster's statement that made Severus scowl, rubbing his temples.

_"Now listen closely, Severus. There will come a time when Lord Voldemort will seem to fear the life of his snake." _

Severus was not amazed that Dumbledore had been right, the grand wizard usually was. But Severus was just surprised at how fast his next task had come to greet him, if not benevolently. It seemed Time itself was flying faster than it had previously, as if it was eager to see to the end of the Wizard War. Severus then stood to his full height, accepting his next mission. And the first step was to find Potter; Severus mused at how he would find the boy, if not at all. But Severus knew he would have to find Potter swiftly, before the boy had another notion to do something absurdly foolish.

There was a sudden movement by Severus's feet, and his eyes flashed down to see the body of Nagini thrashing once more, the wounds from the _Sectumsempra_ curse regenerating, healing over. Severus's wand was stiff in his hand once more as he became rigid with a thrilling horror; he vaguely deliberated why the serpent was alive once more, contemplating why the Dark Lord had placed a spell on it to keep it alive; why was the snake so important? But Severus pushed the sudden rush of questions out of the head, trying to focus on the physical serpent itself, which was lashing out, a new head blossoming out before Severus's eyes. It hissed, its newly grown fangs glistening in the moonlight; its beady eyes locked onto Severus as it advanced, eager to sink its fangs into flesh.

Severus put as much distance as he could between himself and the serpent; he felt the sphere enclosing him, however, and fought against it to escape. At last, the cage gave way and Severus caught himself from falling upon the jagged shrapnel that littered the floor; he swiftly turned to greet the serpent, sliding easily out of the spherical cage, its long body taking a momentous amount of time to be completely free. As it did this, Severus swept the wreckage away so as to move more freely; he did not want his cloak to snag on the hazards that piled the Shack floor.

Before the serpent was completely out, Severus shot a hex at it; the snake recoiled, hissing fervently. It then lunged for Severus, quite agitated; its fangs glistened with its deadly poison, literally dripping off of the dagger-like teeth. Severus deflected the snake with surprising accuracy, not allowing himself to be caught off-guard once more. The snake hissed and spat, its eyes seeming to glow crimson as its master, calculating its next move; Severus thought of hitting the serpent with another _Sectumsempra _curse, but a scuffling noise behind him made him falter his attack; the serpent took advantage of this one pause of Severus Snape, and all too soon it was bearing down upon him, targeting its dagger-fangs at his neck; Severus had hardly a chance to react; the serpent almost had its fangs around his vulnerable flesh – and then there was a flash of yellow; the serpent was gone.

Severus blinked, staggered. The snake was now writhing upon the floor, twisting and knotting about as if a _Cruciatus_ curse had been placed upon it. Except, once more, the serpent was beheaded, and something told Severus that this time it was permanent. It continued to thrash about, its head still attempting to hiss, but its movements became weaker and weaker with every passing second. Soon, Nagini the serpent was quite still, her beady eyes still glaring out into space.

Severus did not lower his wand, however; he swept the Shack with a penetrating gaze, trying to decipher his savior. There was no one in the confined space of the Shack room, however; but Severus continued to feel a presence in the back of his mind, nagging at him to continue to be wary. Keeping one vigilant eye on the snake, Severus processed what information he knew. As Severus looked about the dilapidated Shack, his eyes caught hold of something curved and yellow, standing out in the rubble; it had a sinister look to it, scarlet-red blood dripping from one end. Severus used his wand to recover it, still cautious, and recognized it as the fang of a basilisk.

He vaguely pondered why a _basilisk's _fang had saved him, as it was the serpent's blood trickling down the fang's blade. Severus turned it over in his pallid hands, thoughtful, when he remembered whom he had been seeking originally. And it was by the fact that Severus's rescuer was invisible, it came to him – the one person he knew with a cloak was Harry Potter himself.

"Potter?" Severus's voice was barely a whisper, scarcely heard in the silence of the Shrieking Shack. Severus was testing to see if his theory was true, if Potter was in the very same room. "Potter, if you are truly there," spoke Severus, giving another perceptive gaze about the Shack with no avail, "then you must understand something. Potter, firstly, show yourself," Severus commanded in his deadly soft voice; to his favor, Harry Potter now stood before him, the cloak held in his free hand. But his wand was up, and he was as wary and cautious as Severus was himself.

* * *

Harry scrutinized Snape, wondering if the move to reveal himself had been a fatal move. He did not move or speak, simply waiting. Harry wondered why he had just saved Snape from the snake… He had launched himself forward on instinct, bringing down the serpent in a fluid movement. He had not hesitated doing it, but now, he had afterthoughts. 

Harry remembered Snape battling McGonagall, and his stomach clenched and squirmed. He suddenly regretted his actions; he was now standing in front of a Death Eater, a minion of Voldemort. Harry swore mentally; was he insane? What _had _made him save Snape, and why had he revealed himself?

Behind his back, Harry motioned for Ron and Hermione to keep to the tunnel; Harry felt an urge to go join him, but he stayed where he was, facing Snape. It was as Harry glared at Snape, he abruptly remembered his bitter loathing at the man standing before him. The hate was quite dull though, seeing Snape nearly killed by his own master. It was all quite confusing for Harry, but a sudden pang from his scar made him grit his teeth, and he remembered with a flash all of the vile deeds Snape had done over the years.

The detestation must have flashed across Harry's face, for now Snape finally spoke in a slow manner, as if either he thought Harry was too stupid to comprehend it, or so that he could absorb it better.

Harry chose the first option, all to have another reason to hate the man who's lips now curled into a sneer, as if remembering, too, who was standing before him. It was as if Snape himself was shocked that Harry Potter was now standing before him, the boy who had just saved him from certain death.

Somehow, this brought back a fleeting memory of Harry's father… of how he had saved Severus Snape so very long ago. Harry pushed the thought away, however, and forced himself to focus upon Snape's words.

"Potter, I can assure you that what pitiful assumptions you have made of me are incorrect. But, of course, you have been too blind to seek the truth; although the truth was hidden from all eyes, all but Albus Dumbledore, now passed."

"Because you killed him!" snarled Harry, his glasses flashing dangerously. His anger was flaring once more, all of the anger he had had over the years. And it was preparing to be released. Harry clenched his wand tight, ready for a duel. He was actually itching to start it.

"Potter, you still need to control your anger. You must have a clear head when I tell you this–"

"My head is _perfectly _clear, Snape," retorted Harry viciously, wishing for him to just spit out what he wanted to say. "But whatever comes out of foul mouth, I won't believe a word–"

"How much more daft can you get, Potter?" Severus muttered silkily, cutting across Harry, even though his voice was growing quieter and more dangerous as Harry's grew louder. "And if you will be kind enough as to not interrupt, I will _gladly_ explain to you what Dumbledore has assigned me to tell you–"

"_Shut up!" _snapped Harry, furious. "You're just making it all up, you were just _chatting _with Volde–"

"Do not interrupt me, Potter! You are making this much more difficult than need be. Just let me talk, that is all I ask. I am simply Dumbledore's… messenger." Snape sneered the last word, as if disgusted. "But I am willing to do the job if you accept it. Potter, you need to understand that my alliance with the Dark Lord is a sham. I returned to Dumbledore's side shortly before your parent's death."

Harry bit down his retorts; as soon as his parents were mentioned, however, a question flitted across his face. Why would Snape return to Dumbledore? That didn't make sense, after he had been with the Death Eaters. What made him do it?

"Fine," muttered Harry darkly, "then prove that you're on Dumbledore's side–" Snape sneered at this "–and… and why did you come back?"

"Come back?" Snape was suddenly cautious, forgetting to look intimidating. "Potter, I am not sure if you are aware, but anyone who is the slightest bit human withholds penitence." Snape raised his eyebrows at his own words, giving Harry a shrewd gaze.

Harry saw a slight frown upon Snape's lips for a fraction of a second, looking as if he would say more, but he withheld it. "And?" prompted Harry, knowing it would take more than just remorse to turn a Death Eater good.

"And that is all." Snape growled firmly, his lip curling once more. "So, Potter, you can believe either way. But while we are together in this short lapse of time, I must deliver the message Dumbledore has left for me, contrary if you prefer otherwise.

"And Potter, I advise you once more not to interrupt," Snape said swiftly, cutting across Harry before he could speak, "for the message is long and tedious, and it would be preferred if you listened carefully the first time, so I will not have to go back. But it is quite plain that it is not my fault your brain is too slow to register what I say, all the better to keep silent."

Harry was annoyed, still being insulted by Snape, but kept quiet. It had taken long enough for the two of them to become settled with each other, and yet Snape still had to deliver his "message". Harry wondered if this was meant to be Dumbledore's last communication to Harry, one last slight push to the finish line before he completed the grueling task of the Prophecy. "Alright," growled Harry, but his voice was much more subdued.

"Very well. Potter, you must accept that one of you will die. You must accept that, at times, you feel one with Voldemort. As Dumbledore stated previously, he had asked you to learn Occlumency. This was as to keep him out of your mind, to resist the bond between the two of you."

Harry had never heard Snape say Voldemort's name before, but it had taken him a moment to register that he had. Harry frowned, concentrating, now considering that Snape was telling the truth.

"You must accept, Potter," continued Snape, gazing down upon his clasped hands as he spoke, "that you and Lord Voldemort have bonded a deep parasitic connection with each other; while you live, Harry Potter, Voldemort can not die."

"But," said Harry, his voice slightly weak; it seemed to have taken awhile for the words to reach him and a lifetime to fully grasp them, "how? How is that… possible?" Harry remembered the times he had felt Voldemort in his own conscious, the time when he had wanted to attack Dumbledore in his fourth year and the time Voldemort had possessed him in the Ministry of Magic. It had been overwhelming… and yet, a part of Harry had reacted in such a way Harry had not known before. But now, at a sudden realization, his heart stopped.

* * *

"On the night of October thirty-first, 1981, your mother…" Severus paused, his heart clenching to say it, "she protected you from Voldemort's curse, a shield, and the Killing Curse rebounded against the caster. A fragment of Voldemort's soul latched itself upon the solitary living soul left. Harry Potter, Dumbledore told me that, because a part of Voldemort is living inside of you, he will fail to die. It is this connection with him that allows you to communicate with snakes, this connection that allows you to see through his eyes. But you must also accept that while you still stand, protecting Voldemort's soul, he cannot die." Severus then looked up from his hands, studying the boy before him closely. He spoke no more, his eyes withholding no emotion whatsoever. He stoically watched, a spectator, as realization fully donned upon Harry Potter. 

And Severus Snape knew his task, at long last, was at an end; he had delivered to Harry Potter not only the death sentence of Potter, but one of the Dark Lord himself, as well. The nearing of Lord Voldemort's life was now in sight.

* * *

A/N: I apologize if this chapter varies from the first; I had a slight change in mind as I wrote it, re-reading and watching the magnificent feats of Severus Snape. I just admire what he does... and sorry if Harry is not in character, I am not used to writing him.

I also apologize for my absence from FF. But now I am back, and am eager to catch up on my writing straight away. I hope you enjoyed this chapter of "A Second Chance."

Review. x)


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